Man sentenced to nine years for coaching murder via text messages

It was reported on June 2, 2017 that a 26-year-old man who helped his cousin and his cousin’s girlfriend via text to execute the girl’s mother is sentenced to nine years in prison. Three years ago Robert Bibbs coached his cousin Tommy Schaefer and his girlfriend Heather Mack before, during and after the murder of Mack’s mother – Sheila von Wiese-Mack from thousands of miles away. Bibbs was in the Chicago area while murder took place in a luxury resort in Bali.

On August 12, 2014, “The half-naked body of 62-year-old Sheila von Wiese-Mack was found stuffed in a suitcase in the back of a taxi outside the five-star St. Regis hotel on the tourist island of Bali.” 19-year-old Heather Mack was sentenced to ten years in prison while her 22-year-old boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years.

Bibbs was sentenced to only one year less than Heather Mack who actually carried out the fatal attack. Bibbs told the court that he had been drinking heavily and was depressed at the time he coached his cousin on how to kill. Bibb’s suggested a drug overdose or suffocating Mack’s mother in her sleep.

Bibbs exchanged a multitude of text messages with the two convicted killers on the day of the murder. All three had expected to share in the $1.56 million trust fund that Heather had hoped to collect after her mother’s demise. Heather is an only child. Heather recently gave an interview from prison in Bali where she states that she does not regret killing her mother.